Getting Older and Running Down

Homes and yards. They get older not from years perhaps, but more from neglect. Our best friends had a neighbor who not only neglected the exterior of their house, but the inside of the house just became what my mother would have called a “sling room.” The more things that come into a room and not leave the more pathways are needed and sometimes even they begin to disappear. The difference between the inside and the outside of a home soon meld. The yard begins to take over control and soon there are some trails both inside and outside the house. I’ve seen this happen in a number of places. The neighborhood might see the demise, but not recognize the growing concern.

Have you ever driven down back allies? I think that they always tell stories about what’s going on. About six months ago my wife and I drove down one just a block away from our home and saw a house that appeared to be completely hidden from view from the main road. Generally you see the steps that were taken or not taken. As things begin to overgrow, sometimes even the pathway goes, letting pests create their own trails and tunnels. I first thought of my wife’s business she began decades ago called “Lump It and Dump It.” She and a friend helped people clean out their houses and garages and return their life to normalcy . . . some times. I also thought of my friend Manuel who tackles exterior yards. Although he has done some yard work for us in Tacoma’s North End, he only wants to work in the Puyallup area. In my mind I can see him tackling wild things from Sumner to South Hill. I think Manuel is now ready to expand and do work in more areas, like Tacoma, Lakewood.

Looking back decades I thought of Paint Tacoma Beautiful. I went out exterior painting a couple of years in a row as a member of the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8 as well as Soroptimist International here in the south sound area working to improve neighborhoods and homes of seniors or others who could no longer take care of their homes.

Soroptimist retired about twenty years ago and I didn’t realize that Paint Tacoma Beautiful was still in operation until I started writing this article. You can contact them by calling 253-383-3056 for more information or visit their website: https://associatedministries.org/supportive-services/paint-tacoma-beautiful/ – You can call Manuel Sarabia at 253-324-4034 or visit his website: https://titanlandscapeimprovement.com/ – If he can’t help you, I’m sure he can recommend a friend in your area.